Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless networks, and more specifically to updating of a layer-2 group key in a wireless network.
Related Art
A wireless network may be viewed as various switches connecting wireless stations over a wireless medium. In a common scenario compliant with IEEE 802.11 standards, access points (APs) serve as switches communicating with wireless stations at layer-2 level in providing the connectivity to wireless stations. Layer-2 communication implies ensuring appropriate compliance to share the shared wireless medium, and also using medium access control (MAC) addresses to identify the sender and/or receiver in the corresponding hop of the communication.
Layer-2 group keys are often used in wireless networks for secure communication of multicast and broadcast packets between the APs and the wireless stations. Normally, the same group key is used by an AP to encrypt each packet transmitted to all associated wireless stations. Specifically the payload portion of the layer-2 multicast packet is encrypted using the group key, as is well known in the relevant arts.
There is a general need to update layer-2 group key in a wireless network. Updating implies changing the value for the group key such that the changed value is thereafter used for encryption (and decryption at the other end) of a multicast or broadcast packet. By updating the group key, security is enhanced, as is also well known in the relevant arts.
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to updating of layer-2 group key in a wireless network.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.